Hello magic casters of all shapes and sizes! Welcome to my spellbook and thank you so much for checking in to the 37th episode of our 2nd level spell series. Today we’re gonna be taking a look at a very special, very popular spell and one that is truly a near and dear to me. Today we’re gonna be taking a look at dnd 5e heat metal spell.
This hot spell is usable by the bard, druid and the artificer and it is found in the a good old players handbook. So we should all have access to it. Now let’s get into the general mechanics of this spell, before we discuss of what exactly makes it so great.
Table of Contents
Mechanics
The effect at a glance is as followed: Heat a metal object you can see within a range, creatures holding or wearing the object to take damage. You can use bonus actions to reinflict damage. If the creature is holding the object, that they make a constitution save; dropping it on a fail, on a success it has disadvantage on attack rolls and checks until your next turn.
- Damage: 2d8+ (1d8 per slot level above 2nd)
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 60 ft
- Duration: 1 Minute (Concentration)
- Saving throw: Con
- Components: Verbal, Material and Somatic
- School: Transmutation
- Damage Type: Fire
The damage is 2d8 + 1d8 per slot level above 2nd. Your cast time is one action, the range is 60 feet, the duration is 1 minute and it is a concentration spell, the saving throw is once again constitution, the components are the holy trinity meaning verbal, material and somatic if you are curious about that material component it is a piece of iron and a flame which is kind of interesting.
Because that kind of implies that you might need two hands to cast it although this spell doesn’t directly say that so by raw it’s still a one-hand cast but just same. In any case the school is transmutation and the damage type is fire which makes a ton of logical sense. Now let’s take a quick look at the full description here to better understand exactly how the spell works.
Description
In this heat metal spell you need to chose a manufactured metal object which you can able to see within a range such as one metal weapon or one suit of heavy or medium metal armor. Perhaps you cause the object to glow into red-hot. Any of the creature which is physically contacted by an object would take 2d8 fire damage whenever you cast this d&d 5e heat spell.
Until the end of this spell, you can able to use a bonus action as easily as you can on each of your subsequent turns to cause this damage once again.
Suppose the creature which is holding or wearing the object and even takes the damage from this then that creature must be succeed on a constitution saving throw or else it should drop the object if it can. But if the creature does not drop the object then it has disadvantage on the attack rolls and also ability checks until unless start of your next turn.
You can also check out: aura of purity 5e spell
At Higher Levels:
Whenever you cast this heat metal spell by using the spell slot of 3rd level or more than the 3rd level, the damage would increase by 1d8 for each slot above the 2nd level.
Very very nice so what i do like about this is you do not need to be in the direct vicinity of your target in order to inflict that damage as a bonus action. That does open up a lot of possibilities i’m only dressed exactly what that means a later on.
This is also a great way of dealing passive damage if you don’t have a need for that bonus action and directly. In any case so let’s take a look at some alternative uses here and kind of get those creative juices flowing a little bit.
Alternative Uses
So the first one i would like to point out is this a perfect way to bring out a target. It is a perfect way to mark them and indicate that they are the one you’re gunning for. The fact that you can make a large metal object on them glow red-hot is super beneficial and makes it so.
If they run away of if they change their form somehow it’s still a parent while at the same time maintaining your ability to damage to them and having them roll with disadvantage which is all great just fantastic stuff. As i mentioned earlier you could also cast this and then flee like a crazy.
Technically speaking you could cast this multiple times on the same creature. The only caveat to that i would say that would be to have to target different metal things, that makes sense different metal objects.
But once again that’s up to your DM’s to decide so i let them pick and choose on whether or not they’re going to allow that and a third great use is to use it on important item that you were trying to collect or that bears some form of significance in the overall plot. For example if you are sent to interrupt a procession of kings as it were so the naming of the next king.
As soon as the crown got placed on this new corrupt kings head. You cast the spell and forced him to throw it on the ground or drop it or possibly get hurt by it. I feel like the vast majority of the audience especially if they were religious in nature would view that as a sign from god or some higher power at the very least. I think that would be a very cool in terms of a campaign.
Attributes Of D&D Heat Metal Spell
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Classes | Bard, Druid |
| Components | V S M |
| Concentration | Yes |
| Damage | 2d8 |
| Damage Type | Fire |
| Duration | Up to 1 minute |
| Higher Spell Slot Desc | When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot above 2nd. |
| Higher Spell Slot Dice | 1 |
| Higher Spell Slot Die | d8 |
| Level | 2 |
| Material | A piece of iron and a flame |
| Name | Heat Metal |
| Range | 60 feet |
| Save | Constitution |
| School | Transmutation |
| Target | A manufactured metal object that you can see within range |
Conclusion
In any case if you have any ideas, alternative uses, thoughts, questions, comments, concerns please put them down beneath in the comment section. That being said, thank you so much guys i really do appreciate the time. I hope you’ll have a wonderful day and as always happy casting.